"'It's not a dream to win three gold medals.'" Handsome ace equipped with sweeper in Korea, ML is also watching

Jul 15, 2024

In the game between NC and Hanwha at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 9th, NC starter Hart is pitching hard. Daejeon = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2024.06.09/

The lowest ERA, the second place with multiple wins, the first place with strikeouts, and the first place with winning percentage. It is not a dream to win at least three gold medals. The NC Dinos' 'Handsome Ace' Kyle Hart's strong performance is a game changer.

As of the 15th, Hart is ranked first in a total of three categories in terms of individual title awards. In the lowest ERA category, he is ranked first, beating James Nail (KIA, 2.96) who has been in first place since the beginning of the season. Along with Nail, he is tied for first in the league with a winning rate of 0.800, and is also the lone leader in the strikeout category with 119K. In the multiple wins category, he is also tied for second place with eight wins after first-place Enmanuel de Heysus (Kium, 10 wins).

If he maintains his current pace, it doesn't seem difficult to win an individual title in his first year in the KBO League. As such, he continues to play as NC's 'Ace' pitcher.

Hearts are more powerful in the second half after the break. In the Kiwoom Heroes match held at Changwon NC Park on the 12th, he won the starting victory by pitching close to perfection with two hits, eight strikeouts, and two walks in seven innings. It is a tricky Kiwoom lineup, but he was lethargic in front of Hearts. Hart allowed Ko Young-woo to get on base for the first time after two outs in the first inning, but he overcame the crisis by groundering Song Sung-moon, and retired Choi Joo-hwan, Lee Hyung-jong and Kim Jae-hyun in the second inning. Kim Taejin in the 3rd episode, tooJang Jae-young and Lee Joo-hyung were struck out, infield grounder, and outfield fly, and in the fourth inning, Ronnie Dawson, Ko Young-woo, and Song Sung-moon were all hit by infield grounder. It was a good pitching that blocked Kiwoom's chance itself. He gave up his first hit to Kim Jae-hyun with two outs in the fifth inning, but he didn't shake again this time. He struck out Kim Tae-jin, the next batter, with four pitches swinging.

The match between NC and Kiwoom at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 22nd. NC starter Hart is pitching hard. Gocheok = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2024.05.22/

The sixth inning was the biggest crisis in the game. He gave up a walk to leadoff hitter Jang Jae-young, and the next batter Lee Ju-hyung's hit became an infield hit to the second base, bringing the crisis to the first and second bases with no outs. The NC bench continued to leave Hart with the pitch. And I lived up to that expectation. Hart, who struck out Dawson with three swinging pitches, handled Ko Young-woo and Song Sung-moon neatly with miscues.

And he was responsible until the seventh inning. Choi Joo-hwan was grounded out to second base, Won Sung-jin was struck out swinging, and even Kim Gun-hee was struck out swinging. It was a flawless finish. NC won the final score 9-2, scoring nine points while Hart played well. With this victory, Hart won eight games this season and recorded the most wins among left-handed foreign pitchers in the history of NC clubs.

2023 KBO Awards held at Westin Chosun Seoul on the 27th, MVP NC Peddy poses with the trophy. Reporter Huh Sang-wook's wook@sportschosun.com/2023.11.27/

I can't help but think of pitcher Eric Pedi, who swept NC's 「20 win ace" and the league's best pitcher and regular league MVP last year. Of course, the field believes that the power of Hearts is not as powerful as Pedi. However, the sweeper equipped in Korea added strength and increased its own value. Hart's sweeper, who started practicing from spring camp, has a powerful horizontal angle. NC's main catcher Kim Hyung-joon, who is working together, said "Sweeper's completeness is lower than that of Pedi, but it is at a level where he can use it freely. A well-versed ball." When I first started, it was an ambiguous breaking ball to be considered a sweeper, but with more time and practice, I have created my own sweeper trajectory. The record is 'slider', but it's right to say it's more like a sweeper.

Will Hearts have the possibility of exporting back to the Major League like Peddy. Currently, Major League scouts have never officially visited to see Hearts at home in Changwon. But when he took the mound in the Seoul metropolitan area and other away games, several major league teams are already watching Hart. If the current performance continues until the end of the season, there is a possibility that the ransom will skyrocket.

youll@sportschosun.com

"'It's not a dream to win three gold medals.'" Handsome ace equipped with sweeper in Korea, ML is also watching

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